It Started With Soup Sisters. Nipawin Made It Its Own.
Before we begin recognizing the many funders, partners, and volunteers helping make our 2026 Big Stirs possible, there is one organization we need to thank first: Soup Sisters.
Soup Sisters gave us a proven model built around a beautifully simple idea -- bring people together to prepare nourishing food for others in need while creating connection along the way. Four years ago, we brought that idea home and Nipawin embraced it.
From One Big Stir to a Community Tradition
In our first year, 2022, people from across our community came together to make 270 litres of soup. In year two and three, Nipawin made 320 litres of chili, and in 2026, we’re growing again.
This year, we continue our 4th Annual Big Stir – Soup Stories for Community & Wellbeing tradition while adding Soup Stories for Seniors. Bringing more of our community together around the table to share in stories and connection. Between our two Big Stirs, Nipawin’s goal is to make 700 litres of chili. Bringing our four-year total to 1,610 litres.
That’s 1,610 litres made by Nipawin to fill the freezer for community members in need. Neighbours, seniors, youth, businesses, community organizations and volunteers standing side-by-side, chopping, stirring, talking, laughing and giving back. A tried and true model created by Soup Sisters.
More Than Soup
Over the years, Soup Stories has become about so much more than filling a freezer.
It’s neighbours working beside neighbours and stories being shared across generations.
It’s meeting someone you may not have known before and spending a few hours working toward something that will help someone else. It's a community space where everyone is welcome and our children can experience the joy of cooking together and giving back.
Our Big Stirs have also provided the opportunity to recognize Culture Days and Hunger in Action Month, using food to start conversations about food security, culture, belonging and community. This year, Soup Stories for Seniors gives us another opportunity to build on that tradition by starting conversations about what it means to create an age-friendly Nipawin. A community where people of all ages and abilities feel connected, valued, included, and able to participate.
Food gives us a reason to gather. Community is what we create while we’re there. Thank You, Soup Sisters 💜
Soup Sisters, thank you for showing us what can happen when something as simple as gathering around food becomes an opportunity to create connection, dignity and care.
Thank you for giving us a model our community could build upon.
Thank you for helping spark something that has taken root in Nipawin and continues to grow.
Soup Sisters gave us the recipe and Nipawin made it its own.
It Takes a Community to Keep Stirring
There is another important part of this story. Every Big Stir has been fully funded through the generosity of grants and sponsorships from organizations that believe in bringing people together and strengthening our community.
Everyone is welcome!
Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to receive ongoing support from SaskCultures funded by Saskatchewan Lotteries, The Community Initiatives Fund, and the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA). Their continued support, combined with the Soup Sisters model, and the time given by our volunteers and community partners, has allowed Nipawin to turn one idea into a tradition.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more about the organizations and people helping make our two 2026 Big Stirs and the 700-litre goal possible. But our first thank you belongs where the story began.
Thank You Soup Sisters💜 for the idea, for the model, and for the inspiration. Thank you for showing us that sometimes something much bigger than soup can begin around a cutting board and a pot.
700 litres in 2026.
1,610 litres in four years.
One community making it happen.
Good food. Great stories. Stronger connections.
Thank you to our creators, Soup Sisters!
Soup Sisters continue to be the source of our recipes, cheering us on from the sidelines. These events are as special as they are successful because of the soup wisdom we’ve gained from Soup Sisters, and we are so grateful for the continued support to deliver their events to our local community. With 20 years of experience hosting soup-making events and creating recipes loved around the world, Soup Sisters brings a wealth of heart and wisdom to the table.
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